


I'm Not Gay, I Swear! | McPriceley

by Myth57



Category: Musicals - Fandom, The Book of Mormon - Ambiguous Fandom, The Book of Mormon - Parker/Stone/Lopez
Genre: AU, Angst, Bisexuality, F/M, Gay, Homosexuality, Implied/Referenced Suicide, LGBTQ Character, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-18
Updated: 2021-03-14
Packaged: 2021-03-16 01:23:07
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 17,251
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28822914
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Myth57/pseuds/Myth57
Summary: Kevin's parents had always known that something was a little different about their son, and they weren't quite sure on how they should deal with it. But when a new opportunity to "fix" him pops up, they immediately take it.Soon, Kevin gets his own Straight Companion, someone to help him keep away his gay thoughts and to make sure he stays emotionally healthy. But this new friend isn't exactly what Kevin was expecting, and finds it strange when he starts to get intrigued by this person. He shouldn't want to be interested in them-- rather, he wants to hate them for trying to change him.But how can he resist the charming Connor McKinley?
Relationships: Arnaba - Relationship, McPriceley - Relationship
Comments: 2
Kudos: 18





	1. Chapter One

"Kevin, we have great news!" Kevin's mother exclaimed once he had finally gotten downstairs after urging him to get out of bed for the fifth time.

The brunet rubbed his eyes, still not fully awake. "What?"

"We have been talking more about your little... problem, and have gotten you a Straight Companion!"

Kevin blinked at his family as they smiled eagerly at him. "A what?"

"We've noticed your issue and we want to help you get out of it. We're sure it's just a little mishap, maybe from stress or something. But with this person to help you, we can get you out of this phase!"

"But I'm not-"

"Oh, sure you aren't! That's the right mindset, hon," his mother said encouragingly.

Kevin continued to stare at them, his mind not exactly processing this correctly as he was still in sleep mode. After a few moments, he sighed. "I'm going to go meet up with Arnold."

His family watched as he grabbed his jacket and headed for the door. "Oh, alright. You have fun! But come back as soon as you can. Your companion is arriving tomorrow, and we want the house to look as good as it can for them."

"Yeah, yeah," Kevin mumbled before stepping outside of the house. He took a deep breath in before starting to walk down to the diner, which wasn't too far away. It was Arnold and him's meeting spot, where Kevin would usually sneak cups of coffee, since he wasn't allowed to have them at home. He took out his phone and sent a quick message to his friend telling him to meet him there, before continuing to trudge along the sidewalk.

Like always, Arnold was waiting outside of the building for Kevin. How he got there before him, Kevin never understood. He did live a few houses further away from the diner than Kevin. Maybe it was just because of how hyperactive he was that he could somehow walk faster. Or maybe Kevin was just exceptionally slow.

Arnold's face instantly lit up when he saw his best friend. He ran up to him, engulfing him into a hug, which earned a small laugh from Kevin. "Hey, bud. Nice to see you, too."

The shorter man finally let go of him. "Kevin! You won't believe it! I've finally gotten Nutella to watch all of the Star Wars movies!"

Nutella, or rather, Naba, was Arnold's girlfriend, who had been a transfer student from Uganda, though she'd loved it here in Utah so much that she decided to stay, saying that it was like paradise compared to her life back in Africa. The boys had welcomed her with open arms when she had told them the news, adding onto their small group, thus making it a trio.

Kevin tried for some fake interest as he opened the door for the both of them. "Really? Did she like them?"

"Totally! Next I'm going to show her the Lord of the Rings! Before you know it, she's going to have as much knowledge on fantasy and sci-fi movies as me!"

"Sounds... lovely," Kevin smiled, sitting down at one of the stools of the counter.

"Yeah!" Arnold hopped onto the stool next to him. "So, why'd you want to meet with me, best friend?"

"Well, uh, my family kind of... did something for me," Kevin started to explain.

"Ooh! What was it? Something good, or something bad? I'm guessing bad by how you're acting."

"It's definitely... interesting. Apparently I have a 'little problem,' and well, uh, my parents got me a Straight Companion."

"A Straight Companion?" Arnold asked. "Well that's strange. Plus, you already have me!" Arnold laughed.

"Yeah, that's definitely true," Kevin smiled. "But, I mean, I'm not gay, am I?"

Arnold took a moment to look Kevin up and down. "No, no, I can definitely see it. Or maybe it's just the 1950s 'Grease' look. I dunno, maybe lose the leather jacket and don't slick your hair back so much."

Kevin raised an eyebrow. "So you're telling me that I look like Danny from Grease?"

"That is exactly what I'm saying, yes," Arnold nodded. "But no worries! That doesn't mean you are gay!"

Kevin flinched at the fact that Arnold had said it so loudly. "Mind saying it a little louder, I don't think China heard you."

"Sorry," Arnold whispered with a small giggle. "But why does it even matter if you are? You're still my best friend no matter what."

"While I greatly appreciate your supportiveness, I am quite sure that I am not. Plus, we're Mormons! Of course it matters! It's greatly looked down upon and seen as a sin."

"So why does your family think you are, if you're so sure that you aren't?"

Kevin thought hard before letting out a sigh. "I don't know. I really don't. But there's no way that I can talk them out of it-- once they have their mind set on something, there's no way you can change their mind."

"Sounds like you. Guess it's just a Price thing."

Kevin ignored him. "Apparently this... companion person is coming tomorrow, so I have to get ready for them. I-I don't even know what to think about this all. What're they even going to do to help me? Spray me with a water bottle if I think of something gay? Which I in fact have not ever done."

"Buddy," Arnold said, trying his best to comfort him. "It'll all be okay. Plus, if you're really not gay, like you say you are, then they should be gone within no time. There's really nothing to worry about."

Kevin nodded slowly. "Yeah..."

They both ordered some drinks-- Kevin with a black coffee and Arnold with a chocolate milkshake-- before finally starting to walk back to the houses. Arnold tried striking up a conversation again, something about Star Trek or some other sci-fi movie, though Kevin wasn't entirely listening. His thoughts were too focused on this "Straight Companion" his parents had gotten for him. He wondered what they'd be like. Were they nice, or quite like his 7th grade english teacher, who yelled at him for doing anything wrong? Were they younger or older? Did he know this person, or were they someone entirely new?

Eventually, Kevin said goodbye to Arnold, and walked back up to his house, hesitating a moment before opening up the door. His family were all gathered inside, cleaning up the house in haste as they got ready for the new guest who would be staying for who knows how long. Sighing, he hung up his jacket and started to make his way up to his room, hoping that he could somehow get out of the chores his mother was bossing everyone around to do.

"Kevin!" his mother yelled as he was halfway up the stairs. He'd been caught. Slowly, he turned around to face her.

"Yes?" he asked, trying for a smile.

"Would you mind cleaning out the spare room? That's where your new companion will be staying for however long they need to."

"Of course," he responded, letting his shoulders slump as he continued up the stairs. He turned down the hallway to the room that was directly across from his and opened the door. Piles upon piles of various items were stacked all around the room. This was where everyone stored their things whenever they were out of use, seeing how they didn't have an attic. Various decorations, toys, and books lay scattered all of the floor and on the bed. It looked like this room hadn't been cleaned in years.

While Kevin would much rather bang his head into the wall than clean this junkyard, he knew he would have to, or he'd get grounded. And Lord knows he didn't need to get grounded twice in one month.

Carefully, he started picking the piles apart and sorting them into either trash bags, boxes to be put into storage, or stuff for his siblings to look through. And while it took forever to go through, he was quite proud of the end result.

Once he was finally done with everything, Kevin threw himself onto his bed and laid there, not ever wanting to get back up. Even though he knew nothing about this "companion," he knew they were going to be quite the pain. Urging him to always have straight thoughts and whatnot. When the truth was, Kevin knew he wasn't exactly straight. He'd known it for a long while now. Of course, he'd never admit it to anyone-- no one could possibly be trusted with that information. Yet he had been contemplating telling Arnold for a little while now; he was his best friend after all. But he was always scared of what people would think about it. Not everyone was okay with it, and definitely not his family. So he just shoved that fact down inside of him, hoping that someday it would possibly go away, so that he could feel more normal.

Kevin huffed and turned himself over so that he could stare out the window, watching as thousands of stars twinkled in the pitch black sky. Although he was unsure about many things regarding this whole Straight Companion, he was sure of one thing: no matter who this person was, he would, under no circumstances, get close to this person in any way. And that was final.


	2. Chapter Two

A knock came at the door, to a random tune that Kevin thought was quite familiar, though he couldn’t exactly place it. No one else had bothered to try and stand up to open it, so Kevin got up from the couch and decided to answer it himself. He was quite sure that this was the companion that his parents had gotten for him. Yet he hadn’t expected them to come so early in the morning-- it was only nine after all.  
Behind the door was a shorter man who looked to be around Kevin’s age-- maybe a tad older. His ginger hair was quite radiant in the sunlight, and his eyes were a magnificent blue color. Freckles were splattered all over his face, which also contained a large smile. He held out his hand for Kevin to shake, which he did hesitantly.  
“Hello! My name is Connor McKinley! I am here to be Kevin’s companion and help him come through to himself.”  
“Right…” Kevin said, finally taking his hand out of Connor’s hold. “Well, uh, I’m Kevin.”  
“Ah! Well, it’s nice to meet you, Kevin,” Connor smiled even wider, if that was even possible.  
“Yeah, it's… nice to meet you too.” Kevin had to admit, he was a bit intimidated with how cheerful this boy was. Sure, Arnold could be fairly loud and energetic, but he didn’t emit this amount of joy and friendliness.  
“Kevin, be a dear and let your new friend inside,” his mother called from the living room.  
“Um, you should come inside,” Kevin offered, stepping aside to give Connor room.  
“Thank you,” Connor nodded, grabbing his suitcase and walking inside, glancing around the new house with interest. “You have a very lovely home.”  
“Er, thanks,” Kevin said. “Here, I can show you to your room.”  
“That would be great,” Connor smiled again, following after the brunet as he started up the stairs. They turned down the hallway and Kevin opened the door to the guest room, motioning for Connor to step inside.  
“My room is just across the hall if you need anything,” Kevin told him. “But for now, this room is all yours.”  
“Well alright,” Connor beamed. Why did he smile so much? It was quite contagious. He picked up his suitcase and set it on the bed, starting to unzip it so he could put away his things. But as he did, Kevin noticed something about the luggage. It was pink. An odd color for a “straight” companion. But he shrugged it off and went back downstairs to give Connor some privacy as he settled in.  
Kevin walked up to the coat rack and grabbed his jacket, eager to get out of the house in any means to not interact with his new companion, when his father stopped him.  
“What’re you doing?” he asked, folding his arms.  
“I was just going to go out and hang out with Arnold,” Kevin told him.  
“Well what about your new friend, huh? Are you just going to leave him here all alone?”  
That’s exactly what I’m going to do, Kevin thought. “I guess not…”  
“You should take him with you and show him around town!” Kevin’s mother suggested, suddenly popping into the conversation.  
“That sounds like a great idea. You should do that, Kevin,” his father demanded more than offered.  
Kevin groaned. “Alright.” He put his jacket on before dragging his feet up the stairs and back into the guest room, where Connor seemed to be just finishing up putting everything away. “Hey, d’you want to go for a walk with me? I could show you around town…”  
Connor appeared to perk up at that. “That sounds lovely! Let me get my sweatshirt out and then we can go.” He dug into the closet-- which seemed to be very neatly organized with his clothes-- before bringing out a simple light blue hoodie. He threw it on over his head before walking up to Kevin. “After you.”  
Kevin shoved his hands into his pockets and led Connor down the stairs, then outside of the house. He didn’t know exactly what to show Connor-- there wasn’t much in Salt Lake City besides large skyscrapers that he himself didn’t know exactly what were for. So he led him to the only place he did know: he and Arnold’s diner.  
The place was rather empty, seeing on how early in the morning it was, though there were still a few people here and there. Kevin sat down in his usual spot, ordering a single black coffee like normal. Connor glanced around the building for a little while before sitting down next to him, taking Arnold’s seat.  
Connor ordered a small hot chocolate before turning back to Kevin. “So… theirdo you come here a lot?”  
“Yeah,” Kevin nodded, watching as the barista slid his cup of coffee down to him, which he caught easily. “My friend and I come down here at least once a week.”  
“Friend?” Connor asked as he watched the brunet take a sip of his coffee. “Only, uh, one?”  
“Yep. We’re a lonely bunch. Though his girlfriend comes with us sometimes,” Kevin explained.  
“Oh, I see. Well I’d love to meet them sometime,” he smiled.  
Kevin glanced over at Connor. “Why do you do that so much?”  
Connor blinked. “Do what?”  
“Smile. I don’t think I’ve ever met someone who smiles as much as you do. It’s pretty concerning how happy you are.”  
“Concerning? Would you rather me not be happy at all?” Connor furrowed his brows.  
“No! That’s… not what I meant,” Kevin sighed. “I just don’t know how someone could actually possibly be that happy.”  
“Really?” Connor quizzed, starting to become troubled by Kevin’s tone. “Why is that?”  
Kevin opened his mouth, as if he was about to answer him, before remembering his promise he had made to not get too close to his new companion. “Just… nothing.”  
Connor frowned at his failed attempt to get Kevin to open up. He just wanted to help him, whether it had anything to do with his sexuality or not. His main purpose was just to assist him so that he’d become less confused-- and so far, he wasn’t doing a very good job at getting to know him.  
But, an awkward silence was filling the space between them, and Connor absolutely hated silence. He watched as Kevin finished up his coffee. “So, aren’t Mormons not allowed to have coffee?”  
“Maybe…” Kevin said slowly. “You’re not going to tell on me, are you?”  
Connor put his hands up in defense. “I would never. My job here is to guide you, not rat you out to your parents.”  
“So how exactly does that work?” Kevin asked. “How’re you going to so-called ‘guide me?’”  
“I’m just going to lead you away from any bad thoughts,” Connor explained.  
“Because being gay is bad,” Kevin scoffed. “Even though I am not gay.”  
“Much to your dismay, yes, it is. We’ve all been taught how being gay is a sin. And now I am here to enforce that knowledge onto you, no matter how hard that will be.”  
“Alright then. I’m still not gay, though,” Kevin said again.  
“And that is a good mindset to have,” Connor told him.  
“Ugh. You sound like my mom,” Kevin murmured.  
Connor just shook his head. “I just want to help you, Kev.”  
Kevin froze at the name. “Who told you that you could call me that?”  
“I’m sorry, am I not supposed to use nicknames?”  
“No. I just…” Kevin trailed off. Nicknames were a sure way of becoming friends easier. Heck, he and Arnold used them all the time. But that was the problem. He didn’t want to get close to Connor. It would be much harder to say goodbye to him that way. “Can you stick to just Kevin?”  
Connor was silent for a few moments. “Yeah.” Getting closer to Kevin was going to be much harder than he thought. And that was the complete opposite of what he wanted. But there was no way he was going to give up on him. Something about Kevin intrigued him, and he didn’t want to let him go so fast. No, he’d just have to try harder to get him to open up. No matter what.


	3. Chapter Three

On their way back to the house, Kevin felt his pocket vibrate, only to see a message from Arnold.  
Hey, didn’t that hetero guy come to your house today?  
Kevin sighed but answered back.  
Straight Companion. But yes. He’s actually here with me now.  
Cool! What’s he like? Is he nice? Will I get to meet him? Is he like, totally your stereotypical straight dude?  
That’s a lot of questions. I could probably introduce you to him sometime soon. He’s… alright. Definitely not what I imagined.  
How so?  
He definitely isn’t a super straight person. He’s also really bubbly and lively. Kind of draining, not gonna lie.  
But aren’t I super lively too?  
Yeah, but you’re different, bud. I can handle your kind of energy.  
Yeah, I’m pretty cool like that. But tell me when I can meet him! I want to know this guy who’s going to spend pretty much all day and night with you. And hey! Don’t let him take over my position as your best friend!  
Kevin chuckled at that. Will do.  
He finally put his phone away, only to see Connor giving him a side glance. He was obviously curious as to what Kevin had been doing, but Kevin wasn’t going to tell him. It wasn’t his business to know everything that he did. Instead, he folded his arms and kept on walking in the silence.  
They were both instantly greeted by Kevin’s parents when they both walked inside. “Hello boys! Have a nice walk?”  
“Yep,” Kevin bluntly said, hanging his jacket up again before heading off towards his room without another word.  
Kevin’s mother sighed. “Sorry about him,” she said to Connor. “He’s never been one to talk much. It was a miracle that he eventually got a friend to hang out with.”  
“Oh, no worries about it, Mrs. Price. I’m sure I’ll be able to come through to him soon enough. I’ll just have to work harder to do so,” Connor said determinedly.  
“Thank you for being so patient with him,” she smiled. “We know he can be quite a lot of work.”  
“Oh, of course! And he’s not that bad, really. He just seems to have a lot of barriers built up around him. Has he always been hard to get through to?”  
“It’s definitely been more prominent in the last few years. He used to be a good boy, always determined to do his best. Lately he’s changed, though. Gotten quite more rebellious and has drifted apart from us. I just hope that we get to have a connection with him again, like we used to.”  
“Do you think it has anything to do with this… er, problem?” Connor asked, trying to get as much information as he could about his new patient.  
“Possibly. We’re not entirely sure. But if it is, we certainly want to fix it.”  
“Would that mean that’d you’d be okay with him being gay if that wasn’t the problem?”  
“Maybe. I don’t know…” she definitely seemed to be conflicted on the matter. “I’ve been taught my whole life that being gay is a sin, and that it should be looked down upon. But he’s still my son, and I’ll always love him no matter what.”  
Connor stared down at the floor as he took that information in, before nodding softly. “Right. Okay, I’ll go see if I can figure out exactly what’s happening. I really want to help you guys all out.”  
“Thank you again, Connor. This means so much to me. To us,” she told him with a kind smile.  
“I always want to be able to help people who are in need. And I will always be here to aid you.” He returned the gesture. “Now, let me go talk to him. Maybe I’ll at least get something out of him.”  
Connor faced the stairs and quietly made his way up them, before knocking softly on Kevin’s door, where he was laying on his bed inside. The brunet barely lifted his head, before groaning at the sight of Connor. “Can’t you just leave me alone?”  
“That is the complete opposite of what I am supposed to be doing,” Connor told him. “Can I come inside?”  
Kevin sighed before sitting up. “I guess.”  
Connor walked over to Kevin’s bed and sat on the edge of it, careful to give some space between the two. “Kevin, all I want to do is help you sort everything going on in your mind. I can tell there’s a lot going on inside of you, and you just want some answers. But if you just keep everything bottled up, it's not going to fix everything. Trust me, I’ve learned that the hard way. So if you just tell me what’s bothering you, I promise I will try my best to help you.”  
There was silence as Kevin took in everything Connor said. He wanted to trust him. He wanted to believe him. But still a tiny voice inside him told him that he shouldn’t get so close to someone he only met today. He awkwardly tried to avoid eye contact with Connor, turning to face the other way. His conscience was right. There was no way he’d entrust this guy with his whole life story. Who’s to say that he wouldn’t just tell his parents everything, leaving him a broken mess?  
Connor took this silence as a bad sign, that Kevin still wasn’t comfortable with him. “Alright. Fine, keep everything to yourself. But if you ever need someone to talk to, I’ll always be here to listen.” And with that, he walked out of the room.  
Kevin glared after him before collapsing onto his bed once again. He hated how judgemental he was of others. But it was always his first instinct. He didn’t trust others so easily. He never truly had. You never knew who people truly were behind the personas they gave off. Just because Connor appeared like a very sweet and kind person didn’t mean that he was. So that was why he couldn’t tell him anything.  
But he had to admit, he had been wanting to have someone to talk to. Sure, he could talk to Arnold about everything going on, but he didn’t seem like the type that could help him sort out all of his problems. No, Arnold was definitely more the type that you hung out with to release stress and have fun with.  
Connor, on the other hand, definitely seemed like the kind mom friend you’d have, that’d do whatever they could to help you. He at least seemed interested in Kevin’s problems, rather than just telling him to fix it on his own. He couldn’t deny the fact that something about the red head was a bit charming, though of course he’d never admit it. He was meant to dislike him, and that’s it. Nothing more.  
But then why was he so invested in him?


	4. Chapter Four

“Arnold, can you keep a secret?” Kevin asked, staring down at the cup of coffee in his hand.  
This perked the other boy’s interest, in which he glanced over at the brunet. “Of course! You can trust me, I’m your best friend.”  
“Yeah…” Kevin nodded. His heart was racing as he was getting closer to telling Arnold his secret he’d kept to himself for so long. He didn’t know exactly how he’d react, and he definitely didn’t want his friend to leave him. But he did in fact trust Arnold. They’d been friends for years now-- surely Arnold deserved the truth.  
Kevin took in a deep breath, trying to steady his shaking arms. “I… I’m pretty sure I’m bisexual,” he said quietly.  
“Oh,” Arnold said, clearly not expecting that. Kevin couldn’t bear to look at him. He knew he was disappointed. He knew he’d want to cut off all ties with-  
“Well good for you!” Arnold grinned widely. “I’m glad you’ve figured yourself out!”  
“Y-you’re not mad at me?” Kevin finally asked.  
“Mad? Why would I be mad? Kevin, you’ve finally come to terms with yourself! I’m proud of you, if anything! And I’ll always be here to support you.”  
A smile made its way across Kevin’s face, and he did something that he usually never did. He hugged Arnold, joy warming inside him. “Thank you, so much.”  
Arnold patted his best friend’s back. “Of course, buddy. You’re my best friend, no matter what. Plus, why would your sexuality change our friendship? You can’t help that you are who you are.”  
Kevin finally pulled away from him. “Yeah. But some people don’t accept it-- especially people of our religion. So I gotta trust that you won’t tell anyone about this.”  
“Not even Neutrogena?” Arnold asked.  
Kevin pondered that for a moment. “Okay, maybe Naba. But that’s it!”  
Arnold nodded enthusiastically. “I won’t tell anyone!”  
“Okay. Thank you.”  
“Now… what’re you going to do about your Straight Companion now that you’ve figured this out about yourself?” Arnold raised an eyebrow.  
Kevin sighed. “I’ve been trying to figure that out. He seems pretty set on the whole ‘gay is bad’ and all that junk. I don’t really think there’s a way to change his views on that.”  
“Maybe you should just act really straight until he leaves,” Arnold shrugged, taking a sip of his usual milkshake.  
Kevin scoffed. “Yeah, sounds like such a great plan. But he constantly nags me to tell him what’s going on with my life and how he wants to help me. Quite repetitive, actually. It’s like he’s scripted, yet he does sound genuine at the same time.”  
“Maybe he’s just really nervous because he has never dealt with someone as stubborn as you,” Arnold teased.  
“Oh, haha,” Kevin shook his head. “But I guess he could be anxious. He’s pretty young-- maybe I’m the first person he’d ever dealt with.”  
“That seems pretty reasonable. So maybe you should stop being so hard on him and give him a chance.”  
“How did you-”  
“You did the exact same thing with me,” Arnold explained. “You refused to talk to me and basically tried to ignore me. But I got you to warm up to me! It’s a charm I have.”  
Kevin chuckled. “Well you proved to be a good friend. But… I don’t trust Connor entirely yet. There’s no way I’m going to tell him about all of my doubts and worries after just a few days.”  
“Yeah, I get that. But if he’s so eager to help you, maybe you should take this opportunity to let all your emotions out. Bottling everything up isn’t very healthy.”  
“Now you sound just like him,” Kevin sneered.  
“Well then he sounds like he knows what he’s talking about. You should really listen to him.”  
Kevin sighed. “I know. But I still at least want to get to know him a little better.”  
“I know you do. But I still want to meet him! I have like this... internal radar thing that tells me if people are truly trustworthy. Why d’you think I chose you as my best friend?”  
“So you have a gaydar… but with trust?” Kevin quizzed.  
Arnold snapped while simultaneously pointing a finger gun at Kevin. “Precisely!”  
Kevin shook his head while laughing softly. “So if you say that this guy is trustworthy…”  
“Then he must be trustworthy. Unless… you don’t trust me.”  
“No! I definitely trust you. And I’m sure if you feel that he is worthy of my trust… then I guess I’ll try talking to him.”  
“Good. You really should be more cautious of your mental health.”  
“Yeah, I guess so,” Kevin reluctantly agreed.  
The two went back to a silence as they both took a sip of their drinks. Though the quiet wasn’t necessarily bad-- it was fairly peaceful and soothing. Kevin felt stress-free at the moment, seeing on how Arnold had accepted him. Even if his own family didn’t, his best friend would always be there for him. And that was good enough for him.  
Arnold opened his mouth to start another conversation when the bell at the entrance door rang throughout the building, only to show a smaller man standing in the doorway, panting as if he had ran the whole way there.  
Kevin’s eyes widened as he realized who it was. “What in God’s name are you doing here?”  
Connor took another deep breath before turning to the brunet. “Kevin. You are not allowed to leave my side as long as I am here. I don’t want to fail my job that easily.”  
Kevin just sighed irritably. “Whatever.”  
Arnold grinned widely. “Hey! You must be Kevin’s companion guy! I’m Arnold, Kevin’s best friend.”  
Connor smiled lightly at him. “Well hello there. I’m Connor. It’s nice to meet you.” He held his hand out for Arnold to shake.  
Though the energetic boy wasn’t one for handshakes. No, he just went straight for hugs. Connor almost fell to the floor at the force of Arnold's embrace. He couldn’t help but laugh.  
Arnold turned back to Kevin with an approving nod. The message was clear; Connor was one to be trusted. And whether he liked it or not, he was going to have to start being more honest with him.


	5. Chapter Five

Surprisingly, Arnold and Connor got along really well. Maybe it was just the fact that they both were really friendly people who knew how to start a conversation with ease. Or maybe they had a lot in common. Either way, Kevin couldn’t help but feel a little left out as they talked.  
Sure, Kevin hadn’t really been one to talk in the first place, but he felt almost like a third wheel, not knowing how to join in. So he sat in the background, taking small sips of his coffee as Connor and Arnold and talked on and on.  
Suddenly, Connor turned to him. “What do you think, Kevin?”  
Kevin’s eyes widened. “What?” Was he supposed to have been paying attention?  
Connor smiled lightly. “We were just talking about musicals. I was wondering what your thoughts on them were.”  
“Oh! Well, I’ve seen a few with Arnold, like Grease and Footloose. Definitely not super into them, but they aren’t bad. What about you?”  
“I absolutely love them. I’d honestly love to be on Broadway someday,” he said, his eyes sparkling as he stared into space.  
“Really?” Kevin asked, starting to get a bit more interested in Connor’s dreams of becoming an actor.  
“Of course! I was in theatre in high school, and it was amazing. I just would need to be able to raise enough money to move to New York to become a full on Broadway actor.”  
“So… you can sing?”  
“Well, yeah. I don’t know how well though…” he glanced down, almost embarrassed by the fact of his singing being brought up. “I mean, sure I got the lead pretty much every time, but I don’t want to brag about how incredible I am or what not.”  
“Yeah, we definitely don’t need another person with a giant ego,” Arnold said, nodding his head subtly to Kevin, which made Connor giggle.  
“Hey! I do not have a big ego!” Kevin said defensively.  
“Suuure you don’t,” Arnold smirked. “He does,” he whispered to Connor.  
Kevin huffed. “Maybe my ego is perfectly fine and you guys just don’t have a big enough one.”  
“Whatever you want to tell yourself, Kev,” Arnold chuckled.  
Connor raised his eyebrows at the sound of the nickname. “I thought you didn’t like nicknames,” he said to Kevin.  
Kevin just glanced away from him.  
“Ohh,” Arnold said. “Kevin just has a really hard time warming up to people. It took me forever for him to actually like me.”  
“Ah, I see,” Connor nodded, still peering over at the brunet as he continued to look away.  
“I’m pretty sure he just had a trust problem, though I don’t know why,” Arnold explained.  
Kevin finally spoke up once again. “Okay, so maybe I have a trust issue. So what?”  
“Well… maybe something happened to you in the past that caused it. We can most certainly figure out exactly why you’re so unwilling to trust others, though. I’ll be here to help you!”  
“I don’t need help!” Kevin said angrily, causing the other two’s eyes to widen. “Why does everything have to be centered around some problem that I apparently have? Can’t I just go one minute without you turning a conversation into a therapy session?”  
Connor stared at him, mouth agape. “I-I’m sorry, Kevin, I’m just trying to do my job-”  
“Well, guess what? I don’t care about your… job. ‘Helping’ people out of their sexuality. Which-which I’m not even gay!” he half-lied. “Just… stop trying to help me!” He stood up and stormed out of the diner.  
Every customer in the diner had overheard the argument by now, and turned to stare at Connor and Arnold, who watched as Kevin started walking back down the sidewalk, most likely to go back home.  
Arnold put a hand on Connor’s arm. “Hey, it’s okay. It’s not your fault. He’s just… upset. I’m sure he’s just under a lot of stress at the moment.”  
Connor nodded, trying to blink the tears out of his eyes. “Yeah…”  
Arnold glanced back up at the figure of his best friend that was slowly getting smaller. “I’m going to go try and talk to him. I’d stay away from him for a little while, though… when he gets upset like this, it often takes him a while to cool down.”  
“Alright,” Connor said, avoiding eye contact with Arnold. He could feel the stares of the many customers burning into him, which made him even more determined to hold his tears in. There was a light ring of the door’s bell, in which Connor assumed was Arnold leaving. He sat there in silence for a few moments more before finally standing up to leave the diner as well.  
But this resulted in him being alone. And well, when he was alone, dark thoughts always came to his mind.  
Sure, it was mandatory to stick by his new patient’s side at all times, to make sure he could keep an eye on Kevin, but being with someone else meant he didn’t have to deal with the thousands of things running through his mind. Because Connor McKinley did in fact have a horrific past, and he wished that the entirety of his childhood could be wiped from his memory.  
This new job, though, would help him come through and become a better person, to try and fix up his messed up past. Even if it did come with a price.  
Once he had arrived back at the Prices’ house, he took a deep breath, trying to get back into his cheery mood. That was another part of his job; trying to maintain as happy as he could, as he was supposed to be a role model for Kevin. What kind of companion would he be if he was taken over by his depressing thoughts all the time? Definitely not a good one.  
Inside, Kevin was nowhere to be seen-- probably up in his room pouting. The rest of the family was gathered in the living room, much like always. He gave them a quick ‘hello’ before heading up the stairs. As he went to walk into his room, he noticed Kevin sulking in his bedroom, staring daggers into the floor. Connor let out a small sigh. Though he wanted to help Kevin out desperately, he took Arnold’s advice and decided to steer clear of him until he was better.  
Connor sat down on the edge of his temporary bed, resting his face in his hands. He hadn’t expected this to be so hard. He’d always assumed that as soon as he got here, Kevin would be willing to open up and tell him everything that was wrong in his life. All he truly wanted to do was help him.  
Maybe he just wasn’t right for this. Maybe he’d never be able to guide people through their problems. Maybe he really was just a disappointment.  
Connor finally lifted his head and rested it against the headboard. Whatever the problem was, he still had to stay strong-- for the both of them. He was here to aid Kevin on his journey of figuring himself out, and by gosh, that’s just what he is going to do.


	6. Chapter Six

Connor knocked on the door for the sixth time, starting to become genuinely concerned. “Kevin, you can’t stay in there forever.”  
“You can’t tell me what to do,” Kevin’s muffled voice came from the other side of the door.  
A distressed sigh escaped from Connor’s mouth as he leaned against the door. “Kevin, please, I just want to patch things up between us.”  
A few days had passed since Kevin had yelled at Connor, and the redhead had been sure that that would’ve been more than enough time for Kevin to get over it. But boy, had he been wrong. Apparently when Kevin held grudges, he held them for quite some time. He didn’t know when he’d get over it. If he ever was. But this definitely was the opposite of what he was supposed to be doing. By now, he should’ve had a deep bond with Kevin-- it had almost been a week already. But they were even farther apart than when Connor had arrived. It was almost as if their relationship was moving backwards, rather than forward.  
Without warning, Kevin’s door opened, causing Connor to stumble forward, almost falling straight onto his face. But Kevin quickly reached an arm out to prevent Connor from fully crashing, and set him upright again. Though his face was completely emotionless. He took in a deep breath. “Alright. Let’s talk.”  
Connor wanted to smile widely and hug Kevin for finally coming through, though he knew that probably wouldn’t go over well. Instead, he just nodded.  
“I’m sorry for pressing all of these questions and everything on you. I should just try to get to know you, not your problems. Maybe we could start over-- I could try to just be your friend instead of your psychiatrist.”  
“That sounds nice…” Kevin admitted. “Alright, McKinley, I’m giving you another chance.”  
Connor went for a small smile. “Thank you. I promise, I won’t try to force anymore emotional problem sessions on you.”  
“You better not. Cause all I want to do is sit on my couch and watch Disney movies all day,” he half-joked.  
“Disney movies? Really?” Connor asked.  
“Yep. I may have a tough exterior, but deep down inside I have an affinity for anything Disney related.”  
“I definitely wouldn’t have guessed that. You are full of surprises, aren’t you, Kevin?” Connor chuckled softly.  
Kevin couldn’t help but smile himself. “Call me Kev.”  
Connor raised his eyebrows in slight surprise. “Really?”  
“Yeah. You’ve proved yourself to be not that bad of a guy.”  
“Well I’m glad you think so. I try my hardest.”  
“Your work has certainly paid off,” Kevin told him.  
Connor scoffed slightly with a smile. “Who knew you could be so sweet.”  
“Like you said, I’m full of surprises,” Kevin grinned. “But don’t ever call me sweet again.”  
“I’ll try not to,” Connor said.  
“Now, if we’re truly going to be friends, I’m going to have to get to know you. I already know that you like musicals, but what else is there to know about you?”  
Connor tapped his chin as he thought. “Well, I do enjoy sewing. And tap dancing. And I love anything covered in glitter.”  
Kevin laughed. “Glitter? I can’t say I’m surprised.”  
“Guess I’m just an open book,” Connor hummed a laugh. “What about you?”  
“Well, as I said, I love Disney. And I do sort of have an addiction to coffee-- but that’s a secret you can’t tell anyone. I’ve already been grounded once for getting caught drinking it. Also, my sleep schedule is complete crap and most of the time I just pull all-nighters.”  
“Really? Isn’t that bad for you?” Connor asked.  
Kevin just shrugged. “Yeah. I’m just pretty sure I have insomnia. But it’s alright. As long as it hasn’t killed me yet, I’m fine.”  
“Now I feel inclined to force you to sleep for a whole day to make up for all the sleep you’ve lost,” Connor chuckled.  
“No way. I will not allow it. Sleep is for the weak.”  
Connor laughed again. “If you say so.”  
“So… are you originally from Utah?” Kevin inquired.  
“Yeah. I’m technically also Mormon, just like you,” Connor explained.  
“‘Technically…?’”  
Connor glanced down at the floor. “I’d… rather not talk about it.”  
“Ah. So the guy who was so inclined to get me to tell him everything about myself refuses to tell me about him?” Kevin teased.  
“Yes, I know, it’s very hypocritical. But I really do hate my old life. So I tend not to think about it much.”  
Kevin nodded slowly. “Oh, okay. Well I hope everything is alright with you now.”  
“I’m definitely trying my best,” Connor told him.  
“Well, hey, I think you’re doing okay right now. See, just having normal conversations like this is what leads people to trust you more. I’m definitely starting to trust you a bit more.”  
“Well I’m glad you are. I want to be able to earn your full trust. I just think I’m really rocky right now because you’re the first person I’ve dealt with. I didn’t really seem to know how to get you to open up.”  
“And that’s alright. You have to learn some way or another. But this,” Kevin gestured to the two of them talking. “Is definitely your best bet.”  
“Yeah,” Connor smiled. “It certainly feels good to be able to talk to you like a normal friend, rather than a patient.”  
“And it definitely is more efficient on my end. Maybe after a few days of just being my friend, I’ll finally start talking to you about my problems.”  
“So you admit that you do have some problems,” Connor noted.  
“Well, yeah…” Kevin said. “Deep down inside us, don’t we all?”  
“I guess so,” Connor faltered, leaving a moment of quiet between the two.  
Kevin noticed the change in the mood, and instantly felt like he needed to fix it. “Hey, why don’t we go watch a movie or something? Do friend-type stuff.”  
Connor seemed to cheer up at that. “Alright!”  
Kevin smiled at him, before gesturing forward with his arms. “Well then after you.”  
Connor giggled at him. “Are you usually always this big of a dork?”  
“Possibly. Guess you’re just going to have to find out.”  
Connor started making his way down the hallway and back to the stairs. “I guess I will have to do just that.”


	7. Chapter Seven

Connor instantly rushed over to Kevin’s bedroom door and knocked loudly on it. “Get up, you dormouse, we’re going to be late!”  
Kevin let out a small groan from inside. “But I don’t want to. I slept horribly last night.”  
“Guess much hasn’t changed, has it? You sleep terribly every night.”  
“Which is exactly why I should stay in bed,” Kevin told him.  
“You’re the one who arranged this meeting with Arnold and Naba. Don’t you think you should be more willing to be a good friend and introduce me to Arnold’s girlfriend?”  
“Yeah, yeah,” Kevin said. He was quiet for a few moments before opening the door, fully dressed, yet his hair was still a mess.  
“You might want to brush that,” Connor said, motioning to Kevin’s hair.  
“And you look very nice, too,” Kevin joked.  
“Just… get ready! We’re already behind schedule,” Connor told him.  
Kevin made his way to the bathroom to start brushing his hair. “Schedule?”  
“Yeah. I like to keep things organized, okay? And you are currently ruining that.”  
“Ah, great. So my plan is working,” he grinned.  
Connor just scoffed, yet he couldn’t keep himself from smiling. “I’ll be downstairs waiting for you.”  
“Alright.”  
The two boys had definitely patched up their unsteady friendship, now having spent two weeks in total together. Connor had proved himself to be a good friend to Kevin, and Connor learned that beneath Kevin’s rough exterior, he really was just a good-hearted guy. Even if he never wanted to admit it.  
Kevin was undoubtedly getting closer to trusting Connor, yet he still hadn’t let anything slip about his troubles. Plus, they were having such a great time together that he didn’t want to ruin it all with his unstable mental abilities. Maybe if he just focused on them becoming close friends, he could get Connor to forget all about the reason why he’d come here in the first place.  
Which led to Kevin’s other issue.  
He couldn't help but feel interested by Connor. The way he always managed to make Kevin smile just by looking at him. How Kevin always felt inclined to laugh at every joke Connor made, no matter how stupid it was. Or how great he always looked, even with a rats nest of hair.  
To put it plainly, Kevin was falling for the guy.  
Which he hated so much. This was supposed to be the guy who was his Straight Companion. But then why did Kevin feel this way towards him? It was hopeless, anyway. Connor was set on the “gay is sin” thing. And he most certainly didn’t think of Kevin in that way. He was straight, for crying out loud.  
Though Kevin couldn’t help but wonder if Connor really was straight. He definitely didn’t act like it-- but you can’t always judge someone based on how they seem. And plus, what would a gay guy being doing trying to convert other gay people straight? It didn’t really click together. No, he’d just have to accept the fact that this was a one-sided pining.  
Connor raised an eyebrow at Kevin as he finally made his way down the stairs. “Took you long enough.”  
“What can I say? I just take my hair very seriously.”  
“I can tell. You don’t have a single strand of hair out of place. I must say, I’m impressed.”  
“A-thank you,” Kevin bowed.  
“Alright, now stop being a dork and let’s go meet up with Arnold and Naba. No doubt they’ve probably been waiting forever for us.” He took his phone out to check the time. “Holy moley. Yep, okay, lets go.” He grabbed Kevin by the wrist and dragged him out of the house.  
“Ow. Why’re you so strong?” Kevin asked as Connor continued to pull on his arm.  
Connor shrugged. “I dunno. Maybe you’re just weak.”  
“Wow, thanks. That means a lot.”  
“Anytime,” Connor grinned, continuing to haul Kevin down the sidewalk.  
Like Connor had suspected, Arnold and Naba were already at the diner, waiting outside for the two boys to arrive. Though neither of them looked annoyed, to Connor’s relief. He walked up to them with a smile, letting go of Kevin’s wrist and instead putting it up for Naba to shake.  
“Hello! You must be Naba. I’m Connor, Kevin’s… friend,” he said.  
Naba smiled back at him. “Hello, Connor. It is nice to meet you. Arnold has told me all about you and how cheerful and friendly you are.”  
“Awe, well how nice of him. And I’m so sorry that we are late. Someone didn’t want to get up this morning,” he glared over at Kevin.  
Kevin folded his arms and stuck his tongue out at Connor.  
“Wow, you two act like an old married couple,” Arnold joked.  
Connor suddenly tensed up, letting out a nervous laugh. “That-that’s funny. But no. We’re both guys. That’s just… wrong. Anyways, let's head inside, shall we?”  
Arnold rose his eyebrows at Connor’s sudden change of mood, glancing over at Kevin to see what his thoughts were. But all that he was doing was staring down at the ground. Something seemed to be bothering him. He’d have to ask him about it later, when they could get some alone time.  
The group nodded at Connor, and followed after him as he headed inside. Due to the late time Kevin and Connor had arrived there, the place was a bit more packed than usual. Not to mention it was a Saturday.  
Instead of sitting at the countertop, the four decided to choose a booth, Arnold and Naba on one side, and Connor and Kevin on the other. Though Connor made sure to leave plenty of room between them, obviously still shaken up by the little joke from earlier.  
But as they continued to talk more and more, both Connor and Kevin seemed to be doing better, actually having smiles on their face once again. Somehow, though, in the midst of all of the conversations they were having, Connor and Kevin had moved quite close to each other, though neither of them had noticed.  
Arnold, on the other hand, noticed every little thing that the two did with each other. He didn’t know if it was just him, or if the two did really seem to like each other. Though it didn’t make all the most sense, with their current situation and all, there could possibly be something deeper within Connor that none of them knew about.  
Now the only problem was getting this truth out of him.


	8. Chapter Eight

Once their little meeting had ended, Arnold pulled Kevin aside as Naba and Connor continued walking down the sidewalk.  
“Dude, what is up with you two?”  
Kevin blinked at his best friend. “I-I don’t know what you’re talking about.”  
“You act like one of those couples who don’t know that they’re a couple. Constantly teasing one another, smiling at each other endlessly, always offering to do something for the other. Don’t you see it?”  
Kevin shook his head. “No… no, you’re wrong. Friends can do those things, too.”  
“Yeah, friends who also happen to kiss each other a lot. Why don’t you try talking to him about it?”  
“Because that’s not what’s happening!” Kevin yelled. “We’re just friends. Besides, he’s straight. Being gay is bad or whatever to him.”  
“Have you ever considered the thought that he’s fighting the fact that he’s gay?” Arnold asked. “Maybe he’s struggling to come to terms with himself. Just like how you were. Maybe he just needs a little help finding out who he truly is.”  
Kevin stared down at the floor as he took that into consideration. Could that be true? Could Connor possibly like him, too? But he didn’t want to get his hopes up about it. That would be too good to be true. Kevin just shrugged Arnold off. “Yeah, I highly doubt that. Why would they send a guy who’s questioning his own sexuality to come help me out of my own? That doesn’t seem to make sense.”  
Arnold sighed. “There really is no changing your mind, is there? But you should still at least talk to him. Maybe there’s a lot more going on than what meets the eye. Plus, you promised you’d start talking to him about your problems weeks ago. And I’m guessing you still haven’t yet.”  
Kevin folded his arms and continued to avoid eye contact with Arnold. “I just want to be extra sure that I can trust him. I swear, I’ll talk to him soon enough.”  
“You better. I can’t say that I’m not at least a little bit worried about you. You need to listen to Connor. He seems like he really just wants to make sure that you’re alright.”  
“I know…” Kevin said. “I’ll find a way to talk to him within the next few days, okay?”  
“Okay,” Arnold nodded. “Now, c’mon. Connor and Net Neutrality are probably wondering what happened to us.”  
Kevin chuckled at Naba’s nickname before following after Arnold as they raced to catch up with the others. Kevin knew that Arnold did truly know Naba’s name, but never once had he called her the right thing. It was quite sweet to him, that Arnold had so many nicknames for his girlfriend. And Naba didn’t seem to mind, either. He sort of wished that he had someone like that to call him all sorts of various names. It seemed nice.  
After a few more blocks of walking, the four of them parted ways, Naba and Arnold going one way and Connor and Kevin stopping outside the Price residence.  
Kevin took a deep breath before turning to Connor. “Hey, Con… I just wanted to let you know that I’m perfectly fine with talking to you about… everything that’s been going on with me. You have fully earned my trust.”  
Connor smiled widely at that. “Really?”  
“Yeah,” Kevin smiled back. Why were his smiles so gosh darn contagious?  
“Well that definitely makes me feel good, that you trust me now. And I promise, anything that you tell me, I will keep it to myself and only to myself. I am here to clean up messes, not create them.”  
“Thanks. But, um, we should probably head inside. Plus, you’re shivering,” Kevin noted.  
Connor rubbed his arms. He was feeling a bit cold. “Well, it is the middle of November, after all. How’re you not shivering?”  
“Guess I just don’t get cold as easily as you do,” Kevin shrugged. “Now, come on. We don’t need you getting a cold.”  
They headed inside the house, where the Price family was hanging around the living room like usual. Though Mrs. Price was in the kitchen, most likely making dinner, with the help of one of her daughters. They both said a quick hello to them before heading up the stairs, to which Kevin invited Connor over to his own bedroom so that they could talk in private.  
Kevin sat near the headboard as Connor took a seat at the end of the bed. “So… what exactly has been bothering you lately?”  
Kevin thought long and hard as he tried to figure out how to answer him. “I guess it’s just the fact that everyone expects so much out of me. I’m supposed to be the greatest Mormon of all time or whatnot. And I want to be a role model for my younger siblings, too. But if I’m being quite honest… I don’t entirely agree with that religion. But if I told my parents that, they’d be so disappointed in me. My family seems to hate me enough as it already is.”  
“Why do you think they hate you?” Connor asked, remembering his conversation weeks ago with Mrs. Price, about how much she loved and cared for her son.  
“They’re basically sending me to a therapy session by bringing you here! I mean, obviously they think I’m broken, and they want to fix me. Probably because they think I’m a failure.”  
“Have you ever taken into consideration that they want to ‘fix you’ because they just want to become connected with you again?”  
Kevin thought about that. “Did-did they really say that?”  
Connor nodded. “Because they do care about you. They just want to find out what’s wrong and fix it so that they can become close with you again.”  
Kevin smiled lightly, but it quickly faded away. “And they think that problem is me being gay?”  
“Well, possibly, they’re not entirely sure though-”  
Kevin scoffed. “I figured. What proof do they even have, anyway? I never once have done anything gay, nor had gay thoughts,” he lied, making sure to avoid Connor’s gaze.  
“Well, we have been taught our whole lives that being gay is bad. Surely you know this. But maybe you’re just in a rebellious state so-”  
“You’re just as bad as the rest of them!” Kevin snapped. “What makes being gay so bad, anyway? Just because two people love each other? Is that too much for you to handle?”  
“Kevin, please, I-”  
“No! Just because you don’t understand anything about it doesn’t mean you have to go around and spread your opinions about people!”  
Connor stared at him, completely silent. His glare hurt much more than words ever could. “And how do you know that I don’t understand anything about it, huh? Who’s to say that is the exact reason why I want to forget my past? You don’t know anything about me. So instead of instantly jumping to conclusions, why don’t you actually think before automatically starting a yelling match.” He stood up, turning to go walk out the door before looking back at Kevin once more. “I hope you’re happy that you’ve caused a rift between us once again. That seems to be all you ever do.”  
Then he walked away, leaving Kevin all alone once more.


	9. Chapter Nine

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, so I just found out that there are no spaces between paragraphs on my chapters :/  
> Sorry about the inconvenience! I will try to fix it as soon as possible!

“Mom! Mom! I think I’m in love!” a young boy, maybe around the age of ten, said excitedly, dancing around the room.  
His mother laughed, a kind smile on her face. “Are you now? What happened today?”  
“A classmate of mine. They’re just so amazing. And kind to me. I want to spend my life with them forever.”  
“Well isn’t that lovely. Who is this little girl who you like so much?”  
“That’s the thing, Mom. It’s not a girl, it’s a boy!”  
A moment of silence broke throughout the room as the mother took that information in. She furrowed her brows as she thought deeply about this. The young boy stared at her with worry.  
“What is it, Mom?”  
“Connor, you cannot love a boy,” she told him sternly.  
“But Mom, I do! I feel it deep inside me. I really care for him!”  
“Well then obviously, you are just confused. Connor, boys can’t love other boys. It just can’t be done. And Heavenly Father disagrees with it very much. Do you want to upset Him?”  
The younger Connor shook his head. “No, I would never want to upset Heavenly Father.”  
“Good. Now you go into your room and pray. I’m sure Heavenly Father will help you sort this all out.”  
“Yes, Mom.” He nodded, before turning to go back into his room, heartbroken at the thought that he could never love the boy he liked so much.  
. . . 

“Connor… what do you have to say for yourself?”  
The young boy stayed quiet, staring down at his feet. He’d disappointed his parents. He knew he would eventually. But he never expected it to happen like this.  
“We thought that by teaching you how sinful things like this are bad, you would finally have some common sense. But I guess we were wrong.”  
Tears slowly started to swell in his eyes. “I’m sorry.”  
“Sorry doesn’t fix things like this. This was the last straw. I’m sorry, but you must be fixed.”  
Connor glanced up at his mother and father, trying not to fully break down in front of them. “F-fixed? What do you mean by that?”  
“We’re sending you to a conversion camp for the summer. Maybe that will finally teach you how to finally not be a failure to our family.”  
The boy’s eyes widened as the news was broken to him. “B-but, do I have to go? I-I can try harder to fix myself! I’ll make sure to never let you down again!”  
“I’m sorry, Connor, but we can’t trust you enough anymore. This is our final option. Now go and pack your bags. We’re leaving tomorrow.”  
Reluctantly, he nodded, and rushed off to his room, immediately falling onto his bed and sobbing into his pillow. A disappointment. That’s all he ever was. Ever since that day back in fifth grade, he knew his family had doubts about him. And he was right.  
Sometimes he wished he could just end his suffering. Then his parents wouldn’t have to worry so much about him. They obviously loved his other siblings much more than they did him. They probably wouldn’t even miss him.  
He’d messed up so many times before, too. Even before this whole “gay” incident. He was just a clumsy mess in the first place. Not to mention he was too “feminine” for a guy. But he couldn’t help it that he was much more interested in sewing, like his mother, than building things in his father’s workshop.  
He finally let out one last shattered breath before lifting his head, wiping the tears from his face. Maybe he would just have to work twice as hard, to make up for all of the wrongful things he’d done in his life. Maybe then he could finally make his parents proud of him.  
Slowly, as time went on, Connor took all of those gay thoughts and ripped them apart, making sure he didn’t have a single one left in his brain. If he was going to impress his parents, he would need to start at the thing that they were most disappointed about, before steadily making his way up.  
Years passed, and Connor was now nearing the age of twenty, taking a new job opportunity his parents had told him about. They had been so proud of the progress he had made over time, delighted to call him their son again. And Connor hoped for things to stay this way, even if it meant not truly being happy himself.  
But this new job that he’d taken into consideration would certainly prove to his parents that he in fact was no longer gay. A Straight Companion, someone to help other troubled people like he had once been and put their thoughts back in the right place. He was sure he was doing the right thing by applying for it, and was ecstatic to find out that he had been accepted, and that a client was already looking for him.  
Soon, he packed up his things, saying goodbye to his family, then headed off towards the new house that he would be staying at for a few weeks. He was sure that in no time this person would be as cured as he.  
He stepped up to the door of the address he’d been assigned, taking a deep breath before knocking to the tune of the Jet Song from West Side Story. He hadn’t even realized he’d done it, but it’d been stuck in his head all day. Silently, he waited at the doorstep before there was a sudden click, and he instantly smiled for the gentleman who now stood in front of him.  
Connor was sure that this was all going to go well. He’d be in and out of the Price residence in no time, with having helped Kevin through all his problems.  
Though a single mishap interrupted his plan, which he had certainly not been planning on. There was no procedure he could follow to help it, and he had no answers of his own.  
So what was he supposed to do when he suddenly started getting strange feelings for his new client?


	10. Chapter Ten

Two days had passed since Connor and Kevin’s falling out, and they seemed to be back at square one again. They’d only make small talk, but never go deeper than that. Connor would even let Kevin go out by himself, staying locked in his room for hours on end.

He knew Kevin never really meant for him to feel worse about himself, and make Connor deem himself a disappointment, just like he was to his parents all those years ago. When Kevin got frustrated, he really got frustrated. But Kevin hadn’t even tried to apologize since then, and that was what made Connor truly angry.

Kevin, however, really did want to apologize for lashing out at Connor like that. He never meant to make him so sad. He painfully was reminded of the cold gaze Connor had given him that night often, and it hurt him. But he was just so terrible with words. What would he even say? 

It made it all the worse that Kevin liked Connor so much. This wasn’t so much of a crush as it was a true feeling of love. He wanted it not to be true. He wanted all his feelings towards Connor to just vanish. It made the situation he was in so much worse. Especially since he knew that the feelings would never be returned.

Kevin was returning home from hanging out with Arnold again, after having a long discussion about this whole argument with his best friend. Surprisingly, Arnold hadn’t been that bad with advice, and told Kevin that he needed to talk to Connor. Things surely weren’t just going to fix themself. He had to be the one to take charge.

With the house in front of him, Kevin took a deep breath before stepping inside, and immediately making his way to Connor’s room, where the door was of course closed. He knocked softly on the door. “Con? Can I come in?”

There were a few heartbeats of silence before a small, “Sure,” came from inside the room. Kevin opened the door, walking inside, only to see Connor sitting on his bed, his knees brought up to his chest as he stared into space. Kevin cautiously sat next to him, making sure not to sit too close and invade Connor’s privacy.

“I’m sorry. For yelling at you the other day. I just… don’t get why people think being gay is so bad. And it irritates me when people tell me it’s wrong. I… I just want to be accepted.”

Connor finally looked up at him. Had Kevin trusted him enough to tell him that he is in fact gay? “So… you are…?”

“Kind of, yeah. I-I’m technically bisexual,” Kevin confessed. “But I know you don’t care about that.”

“N-no, I do. It’s just…” Connor hesitated for a moment. “Y-you’re actually okay with yourself being this way?”

Kevin definitely hadn’t expected that to be the question Connor would ask. “Well, yeah. That’s who I am. You can’t change that fact.”

“B-but my parents always told me that I had to change who I was. Other-otherwise Heavenly Father wouldn’t accept me.” At this point, Connor wasn’t even fully aware of what he was telling Kevin.

“Wh-what do you mean, Con?”

Connor took a deep breath. There was no going back now. “When I was younger… I told my parents about this little boy that I liked in my grade. They told me that a boy could never love another boy, and that Heavenly Father would be very disappointed in me if I continued to think like that. So I tried and I tried to stop thinking that way. But I just couldn’t change myself. Eventually, my parents gave up on me and sent me to a conversion camp. There, I tried to erase any and all gay thoughts that I had, knowing it would be the only way to make my parents proud. And it worked. They finally didn’t think I was a disappointment. So then I took this job, to make sure they knew that I in fact was not gay.” Connor felt his eyes sting as tears started to form in his eyes. “But doing this all meant that I’d never truly be happy as myself.”

Kevin had a different look on Connor now. He knew exactly how he felt, yet not at all at the same time. He hesitantly rested a hand on Connor’s arm. “I’m so sorry that you had to go through all that, Con. But you are not a disappointment. Your parent’s views are only a tiny fraction of how the world sees you. And you should always choose your own happiness over proving yourself to others. There is nothing wrong with being gay. You are who you are, and you are a great person no matter what.”

Connor smiled lightly at Kevin, tear stains trailing all over his face. “Thank you. That means a lot.”

“Of course,” Kevin smiled back at him. “C-can I give you a hug?” he asked, still wanting to be respectful of boundaries.

“Yeah,” Connor said quietly.

Kevin wrapped his arms around Connor’s torso, in which Connor rested his head against Kevin's chest, closing his eyes as he tried not to cry anymore. It definitely did feel good to let out all of his bottled up emotions, and Kevin was a big help. Maybe being gay truly wasn’t as bad as his parents had always told him it was. Maybe he just needed to stop focusing on pleasing them, and instead think about his own pleasure.

“So, are you going to start coming to terms with yourself now, or do you still need some time to think about it?” Kevin asked, not moving from the embrace the two were in.

“I… I think I’m going to try and be more accepting of myself. Like you said, I should be focusing more on my own happiness.”

“You should. And know that I will always be here to help you with anything.”

“Now you sound like me,” Connor laughed faintly. “But thank you.”

“Anytime,” Kevin smiled, gently kissing the top of Connor’s head before realizing what he’d just done.

Connor lifted his head to look up at Kevin after the small gesture, his heart starting to race.

“I-I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have done that,” Kevin said, his face turning red.

Connor just smiled softly before leaning forward to give Kevin a small kiss on the lips. “It’s okay.”

Kevin smiled widely as well. “Isn’t this technically a violation?” he chuckled.

“Mm, possibly. But I think that there’s a way for me to let this violation slide,” Connor grinned.

“Oh? And what would that be?”

“I think that you should give me another kiss.”

Kevin laughed slightly. “Oh I see.”

“If you don’t want to I can write up a-”

Kevin cut him off with another kiss, earning a small giggle from Connor. They stayed like that for a few moments, before Kevin finally pulled away.

“So… how’re you going to be my ‘Straight Companion’ now?” he inquired.

“Well, I can still pretend. I’m sure we can somehow come through to your parents. If you can get me to finally accept it after years of internalized homophobia, then I’m sure your parents won’t be a problem. Your mom already told me that she’d love you no matter what, if you were gay or not.”

“Really? She said that?” Kevin asked. “Then why did they want to fix it in the first place?”

“She just wants to know why you’ve drifted so apart from them. So she wondered if that was the issue, but I don’t think she truly has a problem with it. But I know that you’re just scared to tell them that you don’t exactly believe in this religion. But maybe you should at least try talking to them.”

Kevin sighed. “Yeah. But what if they hate me for it? What if they throw me out because of it?”

“I’m sure everything will be okay,” Connor reassured him. “But for now, until you’re ready to tell them the truth, I will be willing to play along with your ‘pretending to be straight’ game.”

“Thank you. But I will try to talk to them… eventually.”

“And I will be here for you once you do.”

Kevin smiled at him. “You’re so kind to me.”

“Only because you’re so charming,” Connor grinned.

Kevin hummed a laugh, and Connor went back to resting his head against Kevin’s chest. The two sat there for a while, just taking in each others’ embrace. And for the moment, that’s all that seemed to really matter.


	11. Chapter Eleven

“Ha! So I was right!”

Kevin was currently at the diner with Arnold, having left early as Connor continued to sleep. At least five days had gone by since Kevin and Connor had gotten together, and they finally deemed it reasonable to tell Arnold. He was Kevin’s best friend, after all.

“Yeah, yeah,” Kevin shook his head, though a small smile made its way onto his face. “But nobody can know. He’s still supposed to be a straight guy, and he definitely isn’t comfortable enough to tell a bunch of people. So I’m trusting that you won’t tell anyone.”

“Of course. So he’s going to have to keep forcing straight thoughts on you in front of your family?” Arnold asked.

“Well, in a sense, yes. But to be honest, he never really did in the first place. More just of ‘emotional health sessions.’ So now all we have to do is pretend that we’re not together.”

“Do you really think it’s going to be that easy?”

“Sure… I’ll just have to make sure I don’t accidentally call him a pet name or hold his hand or something. How hard can that be?” Kevin shrugged.

“Whatever you say, bud. I just hope that your parents will be okay with it all in the end.”

“Me too,” Kevin sighed. “Keeping a secret like this definitely isn’t any fun.”

“I wouldn’t think-”

“Kevin Andrew Price!” a voice yelled from the doorway, causing everyone’s attention to be drawn to them.

It was Connor. Of course it was. Arnold’s eyes widened, while Kevin tried for a nervous smile.

“Ooh, you’re in trouble,” Arnold teased.

“Con! How delightful to see you! What’s the matter?” Kevin asked, playing sweet.

“You know what exactly is ‘the matter!’ You left me back at the house, when we are supposed to be by each other’s side twenty-four, seven,” he said, storming up to the two boys.

“Aw, I just wanted to let you sleep in, hon.”

“And while that is very thoughtful of you, have you forgotten that we are supposed to still be pretending that I am your ‘Straight Companion’?”

Kevin sighed. “Right, right. I’m sorry, I really am.”

“It’s alright, sweetie. But you really do need to be more careful,” Connor told him as he planted a quick kiss on Kevin’s temple before taking a seat on the stool next to them.

Arnold continued to watch them both with a wide smile as he rested his head on his fist. “You two really are adorable, you know that, right?”

That led to Kevin immediately turning a deep red, and Connor letting out a small chuckle. “Well thank you.”

“Anytime, Con.”

Connor went ahead and ordered his usual hot chocolate before his eyes widened as he noticed someone behind the counter. “Chris?!”

A blond man perked up at the sound of his name, instantly breaking into a smile as he noticed Connor. “Con! What’re you doing here?”

“Oh, I’m just hanging out with my friends,” he explained, motioning towards Kevin and Arnold. “But it feels like forever since I’ve seen you!”

“I know!” Chris beamed. 

Arnold leaned closer to Kevin as the two guys kept talking. “Do you have any idea who this guy is?”

Kevin shook his head. “Not a clue.” He tried smiling at the surprisingly very short boy. “Con, why don’t you introduce us to your new friend?”

Connor seemed to have forgotten that both Kevin and Arnold were there. “Oh, right! Chris, this is Kevin and Arnold. Guys, this is Chris, my best friend from throughout high school.”

Chris held his hand out for Kevin and Arnold to shake. “It’s nice to meet you both!”

“You too!” Arnold said with the same amount of enthusiasm.

“Yeah,” Kevin smiled faintly.

“You should definitely hang out with us more,” Connor offered to Chris. “You could join our little group!”

“Yeah!” Arnold exclaimed. “We meet here at the diner multiple times throughout the week.”

“I see. Well, I just started working here, but I only work certain days. So I’ll have to let you know whenever I’m free so that we can hang out together.”

“Sounds good!” Connor smiled widely.

Another customer appeared at the counter top. “Oh, I gotta get back to work. It was nice seeing you, Con!”

“You too!”

“Well look at that,” Arnold said. “All Kevin had to do was get a boyfriend and suddenly our friend group is growing at an exceptional rate.”

Kevin and Connor laughed nervously at the “boyfriend” comment. Sure, they were together, but they hadn’t exactly put a label on what they were yet. This was the first time either of them had been in a relationship, and they most certainly didn’t want to rush through it so fast.

Arnold eyed them both. “Is… something wrong?”

“Nope, everything is perfectly fine,” Kevin lied, which resulted in Connor hitting his arm.

“We just… haven’t established our relationship that far yet,” Connor explained. “So we don’t have labels like that still.”

“Ohhh,” Arnold said. “Well, sorry for saying that then. But you’ve been together for like, almost a week now. Wouldn’t that be enough time for you to see exactly where you are?”

“You have to remember, bud, that Connor has just come to terms with his sexuality,” Kevin told him. “It’s going to take a little longer than with you and Naba.”

Arnold nodded slowly. “Right.”

“But that doesn’t mean that we don’t like each other!” Kevin said quickly.

“Yeah, I still like my little bear a lot,” Connor smiled.

Arnold tried to stop himself from laughing. “B-bear?”

“Oh, shut up,” Kevin mumbled, blushing darkly. “You had to use that name, didn’t you?”

“Why, yes, yes I did,” Connor chuckled.

“Awe, I think it’s quite sweet, bear,” Arnold teased.

“Arnold, would you not?”

“Nope, I think I will, bear.”

“Arnold, I swear to God, I will throw you off a bridge.”

“Wow, quite aggressive there, bear.”

“ARNOLD-”


	12. Chapter Twelve

There was one thing that Kevin Price never was. And that was being worried. There was no point in it. Worrying had no positive outcomes, and definitely didn’t help his already damaged mental health. Not to mention it was a complete waste of time. So that was exactly why he was not worried.

Except… that might’ve been a lie.

The truth was, Kevin was no doubt anxious about a lot of things. Worried that his parents might hate him for not truly believing in their religion anymore. Worried that everyone would find out about him and Connor, and hate on them for it. Worried that Connor would suddenly realize that he wasn’t gay and leave him. 

These were just some of the worries that ran through Kevin’s mind constantly, and he didn’t know exactly how to deal with them. Sure, he could talk to Connor about a majority of them-- which he really was a big help about-- but some were quite embarrassing for Kevin.

Like the fact that Kevin was worried he’d lose Connor to someone else.

It was quite silly of him to think like that. Probably just jealousy hormones after getting together with Connor. But the thought constantly came back to his mind, no matter how hard he tried to get rid of it.

Technically, they weren’t an official couple. Neither of them had announced the other as their boyfriend yet, mostly because Kevin wanted to wait until Connor was truly okay with himself being gay. But this led to Kevin being troubled by the fact that he could lose Connor more easily this way. And that thought scared him. A lot.

He loved Connor so, so much, even if it seemed too soon. But it was true. He could never imagine going another day without the bright and chipper ginger by his side. He didn’t want to imagine it.

So maybe that’s why he started to become a bit overprotective of him.

It did take Kevin a little while to finally start being comfortable with Chris, he wasn’t going to lie. He and Connor just seemed so close… much closer than he and Kevin were. He constantly had to remind himself that Chris was just Connor’s childhood friend.

But what really made Kevin less tense around him was when Chris announced he had a boyfriend of his own.

So there they were, their once duo of just Arnold and Kevin now becoming a full on group. Chris and James were really nice, too-- Kevin couldn’t deny that. And they proved themselves to be great friends. They were all so accepting of each other, as well. For once, Kevin actually felt like he belonged.

But, while his jealousy had gone away for a while, it was bound to come back. All it would take is one single person.

One single person who Kevin completely loathed.

It all started on the day that Kevin and Connor were walking back home from the diner. Connor had tripped, in which Kevin obviously would have caught him if it weren’t for this random douche on the street.

A douche who visibly was here only to make Kevin pissed.

He was being so noticeably flirtatious with Connor, looking past Kevin as if he were merely invisible, while Kevin stood there with his arms crossed in irritation. Connor, on the other hand, was completely oblivious to everything happening around him, and just thought this newcomer was being friendly.

So, to repay him for catching him before he crashed into the sidewalk, Connor offered for this new man to come to the diner with them tomorrow. Maybe he could even join their already growing group of friends.

Of course, the stranger accepted, with Kevin fuming in the background.

Now, Kevin was sitting on his bed, thinking about all the terribly wrong things that could happen. This new guy was obviously here to take Connor away from Kevin. But why? They’d known each other for hardly a day, and he already seemed to hate Kevin with a passion. Did he know him from somewhere? Did Connor know him from somewhere?

Whatever the case, Kevin knew that he wasn’t going to let this man win so easily.

No, he had to fight for his Connor.

Of course, Kevin couldn’t talk to Connor about any of this. It would be quite embarrassing to tell him that he was basically jealous of this random man they had just met earlier this day. No doubt Connor would just say he was overreacting and tell him everything would be fine.

But Kevin knew that everything was in fact not going to be alright.

Maybe he could talk to Arnold about it. He surprisingly seemed to be full of some… liable advice. It would certainly be less embarrassing to talk to him about the matter than Connor.

Though he couldn’t help but have doubts about even telling him. About telling anyone. Who’s to say anyone that he would try talking to about it would just push him aside, saying that it really was nothing. That it was just his mind and his mind alone.

Nonetheless, Kevin in fact did wonder if it was just him. His overprotectiveness could be getting the best of him, causing him to think badly about this person. And cause all of these terrible worries to flood his mind. Maybe this new guy really wasn’t as bad as Kevin made him out to be. Maybe he really was just being friendly, and could turn out to be a worthy friend.

But something was still a bit off, even if Kevin couldn’t exactly place it. Something wasn’t right about this new guy, there was no denying of that. And even though Kevin didn’t know what that exact thing was, there was one thing that he was in fact sure of.

This Steve Blade was not to be trusted.


	13. Chapter Thirteen

Steve Blade really wasn’t that bad of a guy. He was quite kind to Connor, with a smile always present on his face. 

So Connor was kind of confused when he got the feeling Kevin didn’t like him.

But then again, Kevin didn’t really like Connor in the first place, either.

Or Chris.

Or James.

But he turned around eventually for all of them, so maybe it would be the same with Steve.

Except… Connor didn’t exactly think so. 

There always seemed to be a tension between the two, with constant glares and cold silences. And sometimes even snarky remarks underneath their breaths. Connor didn’t exactly understand why. Maybe there was more going on between them than what meets the eye. But one thing was for sure: Connor needed to get them to like each other. 

But how exactly he was going to do this… he didn’t know.

First things first, though, he needed to talk to them individually.

. . .

He and Kevin were walking throughout the streets, hand in hand, just roaming wherever they could. They liked to do this just to get some time for themselves, since they couldn’t exactly do anything romantic together back at Kevin’s home.

Since it was getting closer to December, they were both dressed in warmer clothes. Or rather, Connor was. Kevin was just in his regular jacket, seemingly unbothered by the cold, while Connor was wrapped up in a coat, a hoodie underneath it. At first Kevin had made fun of him for wearing so many layers of clothing, but as the day went on, he couldn’t help but feel a bit cold. Of course, he’d never admit that to Connor.

As they were walking down an empty sidewalk, Connor finally took in a deep breath before turning to Kevin. “So… what do you think about Steve?”

Kevin was taken aback by the question. “Uh, he’s okay, I guess. Why?”

“Well, you guys seem to kind of… how do I put this… hate each other,” he said bluntly.

Kevin scoffed. “Hate each other? What would give you that impression?”

“You two can hardly have a conversation with each other without it ending in a heated battle. Sure, you may not yell at each other, but I can hear the anger in your voices. I just want to know what’s wrong.”

Kevin stared at him for a moment before letting out a small sigh. “I… I don’t know. I just… I get a bad feeling about him. I don’t know how to explain it…”

Connor glanced at him for a few moments before grinning. “Are you jealous of him?”

A light blush made its way across Kevin’s face, yet he tried to hide it with a scowl. “What? No! Of course not! Why would I be jealous of him?”

“I dunno… but that would explain why you seem to hate him so much. Plus, it’d be so adorable that you’d get jealous over me.”

“Well I do love being adorable… but, no! I am not jealous of him. End of story.”

Connor just chuckled at him, obviously not believing what Kevin told him. “Right… okay. Whatever you say.”

“It’s true!” Kevin exclaimed.

“Okay, okay,” Connor said. “But even if you were jealous, there would be nothing wrong with that.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Kevin muttered. “But even so, you should ask Steve what his problem is, too.”

“Already planned on it. I just have to find time to be able to talk to him.”

“Alright… just be careful around him. I just still know there’s something off about him.”

“And you’re not jealous?” Connor laughed. “But of course. What really could go wrong?”

“Lots of things could go wrong. But I guess I could try to be more positive,” he mumbled.

“You definitely could. I promise, everything will be alright,” Connor reassured him.

Kevin smiled at him. “Okay. I believe you. Now, come on, let’s go get some hot chocolate. You look freezing.”

“Sure you don’t want to get some hot chocolate because you’re cold?”

“Maybe. But I’ll never tell.”

… 

“Steve, mind if I talk to you in private?”

“Oh, uh, sure,” the man responded, looking a bit confused.

It had only been a few days since Connor had talked to Kevin about the whole Steve and him issue. Kevin did seem to be doing a bit better, being a bit more optimistic, yet Connor could tell that he was still a little wary around Steve.

“So… what did you want to talk about?” Steve asked once the two of them had strayed away from the rest of the group.

“Well, er, it just seems that you and Kevin have a lot of… tension between each other,” Connor started to explain.

“Really? I thought we were getting along quite well. Did he say something?” 

“No, no, it was all me. I just don’t want there to be a problem between you two. So if there’s anything you’d like to tell me…”

“I… I don’t think I have a problem with him. I’m sorry if I gave off that impression. I don’t want to cause problems within the group.”

“It’s fine, really! I just would hate for there to be tension between you two.”

“Right,” Steve nodded. “I just want to be your friend, after all.”

Connor found it a little strange that Steve said “your” instead of including everyone, but pushed it aside. “Yeah… well, uh, hopefully now you two will seem a little less tense with each other.”

“I will work on that. Again, I’m sorry for seeming that way. I wouldn’t want to make you upset.”

There it was again. He was only talking about Connor.

“Right. Well, we should probably head back to the group. They probably are wondering about us.”

Steve hesitated just a second before nodding again. “Okay. Let’s go then.”

Connor and Steve headed back over to their friends, a few of them giving them a strange look as they returned, but nothing more.

As they all started talking again, Connor couldn’t help but give Steve a wary side glance. After that talk with him… he did start to notice something being a bit off. Maybe Kevin was right. Maybe Steve wasn’t exactly who he portrayed himself to be.

Maybe his whole persona was just a giant lie.


	14. Chapter Fourteen

Though, Connor McKinley wasn’t one to look for the bad in people. He always tried his hardest to believe there was good in everyone. So when he started to have his doubts about Steve, he couldn’t help but push those thoughts aside. To make sure he only thought positively about him.

Maybe Kevin’s worries were just getting to him. How anxious he had sounded when telling Connor all of his doubts about the newcomer. Steve couldn’t possibly be as bad as Kevin thought he was. Could he?

But that didn’t matter at the moment. His shaken up thoughts had to be put on hold. For tonight was a very special night.

For the first time in weeks, Kevin and Connor were going to be alone. 

The house would be all to themselves. They wouldn’t have to worry every five seconds that someone was waiting for them to slip up and out themselves. No, it would just be the two of them. With not a worry in the world.

No homophobic family.

No friends to tease them.

No Steve Blade.

It all seemed too good to be true.

Kevin’s little brother, Jack, had a soccer game that the entire family wanted to go and watch, to support him as he played. They’d offered for Kevin to come with them, but he had told them that he didn’t want to leave Connor all alone. And before they could suggest that Connor come with them as well, Kevin started up a different conversation to distract them.

Connor had teased him for how “smooth” the transition of conversation was.

Yet, his family had went along with it. So here they were, five o’clock at night, saying goodbye to the Price family as they headed out to attend Jack’s soccer game.  
Kevin closed the door behind them as they exited the house, before turning back around to face Connor with a smile.

“Hey there…”

“Hey…” Connor smiled as well.

“Well, now that we’re here all by ourselves, you know what that means?”

“What?” Connor raised an eyebrow at him. 

“I get to make dinner for you! As in like, a date! For just the two of us. Without any annoying siblings or parents who ask millions of questions. Just us,” Kevin beamed at him.

“Oh, you don’t have to do that, Kev...:”

“But I want to! It will be just like having a real date. As long as my family is here, we’ll never be able to go out for dinner together. So we have to take advantage of this moment. I want to do this for you, hon,” Kevin told him, taking both of Connor’s hands in his.

“You’re so sweet,” Connor smiled at him, before placing a quick kiss on Kevin’s forehead, having to stand on his toes to do so.

“Sure you can reach?” Kevin teased.

“Oh, shut up.”

. . . 

The dinner was nice. No, not nice. Amazing. Kevin’s cooking skills surely were something incredible, and Connor wondered why he didn’t offer to help his mother with dinner more often. Connor made sure to compliment his significant other’s meal as often as he could, clearly leaving Kevin embarrassed by all the words of encouragement.

Connor could tell that the dinner was very Lady and the Tramp themed. The main dinner was spaghetti, of course, but Connor couldn’t help but be impressed with Kevin’s attention to detail. From the singular candle and the small pot of breadsticks, to the white table cloth with red stripes. It was cute how affiliated Kevin was with Disney.

Oh, but the Disney theme didn’t stop there.

For a desert, Kevin had made some beignets, famously seen in the Princess and the Frog. Then afterwards, the two of them had a Disney marathon, where Kevin brought out a bowl of cookies, with various sayings like, “Try me,” and “Eat me,” like the ones from Alice in Wonderland. The amount of effort he had put into everything amazed Connor.

Eventually, it was starting to get late, and the two of them were left cuddling on the couch together while The Little Mermaid played on the screen. They were both laying down, with Connor on top of Kevin as he rested his head against Kevin’s chest, while the brunet had his arms wrapped around Connor. They seemed quite oblivious to the fact that anyone could walk up on them at any moment, figuring out that they’re, well, more than just “companions.”

Yet what they were was still a bit of a mystery.

It had been a little over two weeks since the two had gotten together. The only thing they were sure of was that they were in a relationship. Nothing more. Sure, Kevin was certain that he was ready to call Connor his boyfriend, but he never wanted to push Connor too far ahead of what he was comfortable with. So, he’d wait. And wait. Hoping that at least at some point, Connor would be comfortable enough to be called “boyfriend.”

Of course, he didn’t want to sound rude about it, though. Connor had in fact just come to terms with his sexuality. It was definitely going to take a bit of time. Heck, it did take Kevin himself a little while to finally be okay with himself being bisexual. It just… he didn’t want this to last forever. He wanted to be able to call Connor his boyfriend. To feel like they were in a secure relationship. To be able to call each other “theirs.”

But he would remain patient. Surely Connor would be okay with himself being gay sooner or later. It was only a matter of time.

So there they were, sitting together on the little couch, as the movie slowly came to an end. A happy ending, much like all Disney movies. Yet how often did happy endings happen in real life? How often did people live happily ever after, with each other and only each other, for the rest of their lives?

Because, let’s face it, nothing lasts forever. And, well, something’s bound to disrupt that.

That’s when the sound of the door opening rang throughout the room.


	15. Chapter Fifteen

Unluckily for Kevin, Connor had fallen asleep while watching the movie, so it wasn’t exactly easy to get him off of him. His family was rushing through the door, too, and would see them in a matter of seconds. It would be a miracle for him to possibly get Connor off of him in time, so that nothing seemed suspicious.

Miracles didn’t seem to happen often with Kevin.

“Hello boys, how’re you- KEVIN PRICE WHAT IS GOING ON?!”

Kevin glanced up at his mother, who had been the one to exclaim at him. Her voice was loud enough to alert the entire family, and soon everyone was staring at him and Connor.

The brunet was in the middle of sitting up to get Connor off of him when his mother had yelled at him. Connor was still resting against his chest, his arms gripped around Kevin’s torso. There was nothing he could do but give his mother a nervous smile.

Kevin’s family continued to stare at him, while his father folded his arms. “Well?”

“I, uh, er…”

The noise seemed to have been just loud enough to wake Connor, as he started to stir. He glanced up at Kevin with a small smile, blinking a few times before turning to look up at the Price family, his eyes still half closed with sleep. Once he had realized who it was, his eyes shot open wide, and he froze in a state of panic.

“I can’t say that I’m not disappointed in the both of you. And I hate to say it, but especially you, Connor. You were supposed to be helping our son out of his problem. We trusted you with helping him. But it seems that you were not to be trusted,” Mr. Price scolded him.

“M-Mr. Price, I-I’m sorry-”

“Sorry does not fix this situation!” he exclaimed. “I’m afraid we’re going to have to resign you from your position. I want you out of this house by tomorrow morning.”

“Wh-what?” Connor stared at him in disbelief. “N-no! Y-you can’t do this!”

“You failed us, Connor. There’s nothing left for you to do.”

You failed us, Connor. Those words rang throughout his head. Too many times had he heard that sentence. He thought maybe he’d finally not be a disappointment to people. He was doing so great. Yet… he managed to slip up again.

And it happened to be around the same time he came to terms with himself being gay.

Did… did that mean anything?

Connor glanced back up at Kevin, who was arguing with his father over why he was overreacting. He blinked a few times at him before letting out a sigh.

“He’s right.”

Both Kevin and his father stopped bickering to glance over at Connor.

“Con, what’re you talking about?” Kevin asked.

“I am a disappointment. A failure. All of this… this was just one big mistake. I… I’m going to go pack my bags.” He stood up and started walking towards the stairs.

Kevin stared after him, feeling his heart break in two. Suddenly, he turned his glare towards his father. “I hope you’re happy with yourself. He already had a hard enough time with himself.”

Before he could answer, though, Kevin stood up and ran after Connor, leaving the Price family in a stunned silence.

The door to Connor’s room was mostly closed, with only a tiny sliver of a crack in the doorway. From inside, the sound of dresser drawers slamming could be heard. Along with the sound of crying.

Kevin slowly opened up the door, only to find Connor hastily grabbing all of his clothes and throwing them into his suitcase. It was very untidy, and nothing like the Connor he knew. But what distressed him most were the tears that streamed down his face, his eyes turning red as he choked on his own tears. Immediately, Kevin ran up to him and pulled him into a hug. The redhead didn’t protest, crying into Kevin’s shoulder.

“Connor, you are not a disappointment. You hear me? Don’t listen to anything he said. If anything, I’m proud of you. I’m proud of you being okay about yourself.”

“But-but he’s right, Kevin! I’ve never done anything right in my entire life! Why would this be any different?”

“Because you are being your true self this way. Not some shell of yourself, hidden behind a wall of lies. And I like this Connor. The Connor that’s happier because he doesn’t have to pretend to be somebody else.”

“But it's selfish, isn’t it? Trading in everyone else’s happiness for my own. It’s not right. I… shouldn’t be doing it.”

“Connor, you’re not the only one that this makes happy. It makes Arnold happy, Naba, Chris, James, me.” Kevin’s eyes started to sting as he struggled to make Connor see his point. “Is-isn’t that more important than a bunch of random people who’ll hardly be in your life?”

Connor stared at the ground. “But what about my family? They still hate me. And forever will. Until… until I fix this.”

“Connor,” Kevin took ahold of the redhead’s shoulders. “You do not need fixing. You are perfect just the way you are.”

“Then why does my own family hate me? If I’m so perfect, shouldn’t they at least see that? Shouldn’t they at least care?”

“Con-”

“... I think we should stop seeing each other.”

Kevin’s eyes widened. “Wh-what?”

“I can’t… I can’t keep doing this. This is the exact reason why my parents think I’m a disappointment. I just… I can’t make them proud by disobeying the exact thing they hate about me.”

“B-but Con… do you really want to give up your happiness just for them? You… you are happy with me, right?”

Connor once again fought back tears. “I don’t know how I could be happy, knowing that my entire family hates me.”

Kevin watched as Connor pulled away from him, turning to zip up his suitcase, before picking it up and wiping his eyes. He turned back around to face Kevin, trying not to let the heartbroken expression on his face make him break down once again.

“Goodbye, Kevin. I wish the best for you.”

Then he walked out of the room, leaving behind his one and only chance at happiness.


End file.
